Fanny Hesse (1850 - 1934)

Fanny Hesse (born Angelina Fanny Elishemius) is best known for her work in microbiology alongside her husband, Walther Hesse.

Hesse worked in an unpaid capacity to assist her husband through preparing bacterial growth media, cleaning equipment and producing illustrations for publications.

In 1881, while her husband was working in the laboratory of German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch, Hesse suggested that agar was preferable to gelatin for cultivating bacteria. She was aware of the properties of agar as a gelling agent that maintained its gel properties at warm temperatures through using it at home to make puddings and jellies. A neighbor who had lived in Java had introduced agar to her when she lived in America.

This led to Koch using agar to cultivate the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Although Koch, in an 1882 paper on tuberculosis bacilli, mentioned he used agar instead of gelatin, he did not credit either Hesse, or mention why he made the switch. Hesse's suggestion never resulted in financial benefit for the Hesse family

Source: Wikipedia

Known for
Developing agar as a medium, paving the way for the Golden Age of Bacteriology

Find More
The Forgotten Woman Who Made Microbiology Possible, Popular Science (2014)

Fanny and Hesse Early Contributors to Microbioloty, New York Essays (2016)